Mayor Kelly, Baylor School and the Chattanooga Tourism company are celebrating FIFA’s announcement that Chattanooga will be a candidate to serve as a Team Base Camp for teams participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
According to FIFA, Team Base Camps are “locations where the 48 participating teams may opt to establish their ‘homes away from home’ – the hub from where they will travel to their first three matches and where players, staff and officials will spend the majority of their time during the group stage.”
"This is a very exciting day for Chattanooga,” said Mayor Tim Kelly. “It’s an honor to be a candidate for a World Cup Team Base Camp, among the select company of just a few other great North American cities."
"This announcement comes as a result of hard work with our partners at Baylor School and the Chattanooga Tourism Co, and is proof that Chattanooga is recognized on the world stage as a great soccer city," Mayor Kelly added. "We can do great things in Chattanooga when we come together, and this is just the latest example in our long history of successful partnerships."
“Baylor School has always had a global focus and we are honored and thrilled to be considered as a training site for such a prestigious global sporting event,” said Baylor’s Head of School Chris Angel. “We are excited to partner with the City of Chattanooga to showcase our hospitality and we look forward to the possibility of welcoming a FIFA 26 team to our campus.”
Nine cities outside of the Host Cities are included in the Team Base Camps selection list – Chattanooga, Cincinnati, Green Bay, Irvine, Louisville, St. Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio and Westfield.